The Slayer
by Silent Songbird
Summary: A Demon Older Than Time. A Black Mage. A Legendary Dragon. A God. What do all these have in common? Simple. They are the enemies of Natsu Dragneel. Being the reincarnation of a legendary blonde sage was one thing, but discovering that you're 400 years old? That's something else entirely. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend isn't supposed to be literal!" AU. Natsu-Centric.
1. Prologue

_**A/N**_ **: Ladies, Gentlemen, and ambiguously gendered people, I present to you, The Slayer. So, this is my First fic, I don't own Naruto or Fairy Tail and this fic contains spoilers for Fairy Tail recent chapters.**

 **Note that this is also a semi-Natsu-centric fic. Been reading fan fiction for a while and even though this is the Fairy Tail and Naruto Xover section... Natsu is usually being shifted to the background and put on a bus despite being a major protagonist. If he is in the story, it's as an extra or as Naruto's younger brother or apprentice or shadow, weird right? So here's to what I hope will be an original plot...**

 **~~ The Slayer ~~**

Prologue

Natsu was not a superstitious person. He really wasn't. In all his years of staying in Fairy Tail, he often butt heads with several characters, was sometimes slow on the uptake when it came to highly intellectual matters, he was quick to insult and disrespect those who garnered his ire, and even quicker to ignite the flames of conflict against said people. All these, but yet, he was never one to believe in omens or premonitions, irrespective of the ironic fact that he lived in a world in which absurdity was normalcy, and mortal men could breathe fire and turn to water.

Yet, when his innermost instincts had felt that something would go wrong, that something terrible would happen, he had shrugged it off, willing to place his faith in his Nakama. Only, when the urging feeling heightened to the point in which he could no longer he ignore it, had he decided to take action.

It was a mistake that had cost him dearly.

" _Are you sure I can't follow you guys?" he asked, his face uncharacteristically serious._

" _No means no Natsu! This is a strictly Strauss sibling bonding mission, and you're not invited!" Mirajane uttered sternly._

" _I dunno, I just have a weird feeling about all this." He said as he scratched his chin._

" _Natsu! You must learn to place faith in your Nakama, as they would place faith in you, that's what it means to be a man!" the large and only male member of the Strauss siblings stated with a dazzling smile. Natsu was not amused._

" _What Elf-nichan is trying to say Natsu, is that we'll be safe, we've got Mira-nee to look out for us, and she's really strong!" Lisanna, stated with a smile, as she looked into the boy's eyes, and he stared back at her._

 _They both knew that they liked each other, but they both never admitted it. Natsu couldn't count the number of times he'd fallen asleep in her lap, or the times she did his. It had barely been a week since a memorable event for both of them, one in which they both kept quiet about._

 _He was her first kiss, and she was his, but neither knew how to go any further. Neither knew, if they_ wanted _to go any further._

" _So while I'm gone, you'll take good care of Happy like a good father right?" she teased with a gentle smile, her smile which had eased his concerns a little, making them melt away as only she was capable of vanquishing his inner demons._

" _Fine." He stated with a pout, before looking back at her once more "Be safe."_

" _I will." She added, eyes gazing once more into his, a fluttering moment, which lasted eons untold._

" _If you two lovebirds are done…" Natsu and Lisanna instantly jumped away from each other, sputtering and denying the accusation "…we have a schedule to keep Lisanna."_

" _Coming Mira-nee" she stated, more like whined._

" _Besides, it's just a simple monster elimination." Mirajane added confidence radiating her form "With all three of us, how hard could it possibly be?"_

As Natsu wandered lifelessly into the guild, covered in bruises, as he carried a body covered in white cloth, and as he glanced at the battered and bandaged forms of Mirajane and Elfman who trailed in front of him with their empty soulless gazes, their pale faces which hid not the tear marks that ran through them, and their shivering, wretched forms, he could not help but think.

' _It was hard enough.'_

 __-The~Slayer-__

* * *

The guild was silent, as it's members sat at various places in eerie solitude. Cana had stopped drinking, Macao and Wakaba had stopped smoking, Gray had all his clothes on and even Levy could not find the heart to continue reading her novel. The thunderstorm which rained overhead seemed to amplify the effect, as though the heavens themselves where grieving at the loss of a dear companion. No one wanted to believe that Lisanna was dead, no one wanted to accept the overwhelming fact of their own mortality.

Out of everyone there, the most surprising person was Natsu. Most people had expected him to be screaming, denying the fact that Lisanna was dead, or even yelling at the top of his voice in denial. Instead, he had said nothing all the while, since he had walked into the guild with her corpse, and throughout the burial ceremony, he'd been completely silent. It was understandable, as according to Mirajane, Natsu had arrived on the scene just mere seconds – mere _seconds_ – before Lisanna had received the fatal hit that killed her. He most likely blamed himself for the incident, as he witnessed her death first hand, and felt most likely, that if he had arrived just mere _seconds_ earlier, he would have been able to save her.

As a result, Natsu hadn't spoken to anyone for a week. He'd been going directly out of his way to avoid everyone in the Guild, even more so for Elfman, after the older teen had explained to everyone the cause of Lisanna's death. No one wanted to blame Elfman, as it wasn't entirely his fault, however, once Natsu had heard the full story, he had given Elfman the coldest possible glare anyone had ever seen the Dragonslayer emit. They could _feel_ the sheer hatred emanating from him at that moment, and Erza had stepped in, just in case the now psychologically troubled Dragonslayer would attack the teen.

Instead, Natsu had simply glared at him and walked out of the guild. No one knew what was going through his head, and at the rate it was going, with him pushing everyone away, no one would.

Mirajane however, had decided against letting the Dragonslayer wallow in his misery, and she found him. She found him in the spot he'd been for several days straight, standing in front of Lisanna's grave for nearly a week, without food, without water, through the heavy rainstorm and cold nights.

Mirajane was dressed in black mourning clothes and had an umbrella over her head when she approached him from behind. If he had detected her presence he made no indication of doing so as he stared at the gravestone in front of him. His entire outfit was drenched from head to toe, but he made no indication of even realizing such.

"Natsu this has to stop." She stated softly, her persona having changed since her sister's death.

If he had heard her, he made no indication of such.

"It's been a week. If you go on this way you'll end up killing yourself!"

Only the harmonious melancholy of rhythmic raindrops crashing on objects answered her. She shivered slightly as a cold breeze hit her, the temperature having dropped several levels.

"How do you think Lisanna would feel? Do you think she'd want you to kill yourself!"

"…." This time, he had responded, but it had been too low for her to pick up, though she'd seen his lips move.

"This isn't what she would have wanted!"

This time, she did hear him. "It doesn't matter what she wants. She's dead."

The uncharacteristically cold remark from the normally bubbly boy stung and she recoiled as though she'd been slapped physically.

"How… could you…"

"She has no regrets. No last wishes. No expectations, no burdens, no guilt, no emotions, no nothing!" he spoke spitefully, his voice cracking slightly from the lack of use as he clenched his fists and his tone increased.

"From the minute she died, she stopped being Lisanna. All that's left of her is a corpse, a dead body, a body which no one calls by name. There's nothing left of her except memories… memories which all do nothing but remind me constantly of the fact that she's gone."

Mirajane looked at the boy with an appalled expression, and if he noticed, he didn't seem to care.

"Gone! She's gone! So what she would have wanted doesn't matter, it doesn't make a-"

 _SLAP!_

Natsu did his best not to flinch, but was still stunned, shocked into inaction and speechlessness by the fact that he'd been slapped.

"Lisanna wanted you to be happy. It's all she's ever wanted." She stated, pausing as she looked at the Dragonslayer with narrowed eyes and a bit of burning anger "…If you can't honor her one wish, her last wish…" Mirajane turned around and slowly walked away "Then you never deserved her in the first place."

Natsu's eyes widened as a particular memory came to the forefront of his mind like a divine vision.

" _Wow! A shooting star! Quick let's make a wish!" Lisanna stated_

" _Hmm! Yeah!"_

" _So… what did you wish for Natsu?"_

" _I wished I'd be strongest mage in Fairy Tail! So I can put Laxus in his place, protect everyone in the guild and find Igneel!"_

" _That's just like you Natsu." She giggled._

" _So, what did you wish for?"_

 _She smiled as she held his hand together with hers, causing the pink haired teen to blush slightly "I wished…"_

" _Lisanna, what are you-" the Dragonslayer could barely get any more words out before the younger girl leaned forward slowly._

"… _for us…" she gazed into the boy's eyes, before slowly planting a soft chaste kiss on his cheek "To be happy."_

" _Lisanna…" The teen leaned forward,_

" _Natsu…" the Dragonslayer leaned forward,_

" _Did someone call me, aye!"_

 _And both teens promptly kissed the small blue cat on both sides of his cheeks._

" _Gah! Happy!" Natsu groaned as the mood was ruined and as he tried to get the cat's hair out of his mouth, all the while enjoying the sound of Lisanna's melodious laugher._

Natsu stared at the retreating form of the older girl, a bittersweet smile came to his face as he realized just how far deep he'd gotten.

"It's all she ever wanted…" were the last words on his mind, as he finally felt his legs give out from under him, and he embraced a world of darkness.

"NATSU!"

* * *

 **Magnolia**

 **Fairy Tail Guild**

 **One Week Later…**

"Are you sure about this Natsu?" Gray asked, the black haired teen uncharacteristically serious.

"I mean, we all know that you're upset but still…" this came from Cana, who, in her usual blunt way pointed out the obvious.

"It's something I have to do guys. It's something I _need_ to do."

"But…" Gray tried to interrupt once more, but was quickly cut off by Erza.

"Don't bother. Natsu has set his mind to the task, there's no changing him." Erza looked at the pink-haired teen and looked into his eyes as her gaze softened.

"At the very least… you'll return eventually?" her tone was hopeful, almost pleading, a combination which surprised Natsu and shocked him to the core.

"You can count on it!" he stated, with his brilliant dazzling smile that eased her worry, and made the guild members somewhat relaxed.

The smile was completely fake.

Irrespective of which, it was something he truly had needed to do for a long time. As of now, the pink haired Dragonslayer stood with a backpack on his back which contained most of his personal belongings, as the entirety of the guild had come to see him off. He had decided, that he'd never be weak enough to do nothing and let his comrade die, he'd be strong enough to protect everyone and everything he had ever cared about. That was the purpose of his training trip, first of all, was to gain strength, and then, to continue his search for Igneel.

Natsu paused suddenly as he spoke to his guild mates, realizing slowly, that he'd subconsciously shifted his goal of searching for foster parent to being his secondary objective.

'Maybe…' Natsu thought with a bittersweet smile '…There are more important things to do with my life than chasing after the shadow of the being who abandoned me without a second thought.'

"NATSU!"

The pink-haired Dragonslayer turned with surprise to see someone he didn't expect. He was barreled into by a blur of blue and white, only to gaze at the sight of Happy's weeping face.

"Eh? Happy? What are you-"

"Take me with you Natsu!"

"What?" The Dragonslayer asked with uncertainty.

"Don't leave me behind!"

"Oi! Happy! Be serious! I'm going on a very dangerous journey, you could get hurt!"

"I don't care!" the cat responded fiercely, stunning Natsu with the amount of fire in his eyes.

"You'll face life threatening challenges."

"I'll overcome them!"

"You could be eaten."

"Then I won't be digested!"

"Burnt."

"I'll become fireproof!"

"Drowned."

"I'll learn how to breathe underwater!"

"Buried alive."

"I'll claw my way out!"

"Don't you get it!" Natsu nearly snapped at this point "You could be hurt, maimed, wounded or killed!"

"Is it that you don't want me to follow you because I could die…" Happy began, the cat's demeanor being directly opposite to his name "Or because you won't be able to handle it if someone you care about dies in front of you again?"

Natsu flinched subconsciously, as his hands tightened, his gaze diverted from anywhere apart from the cat and the rest of the guild members who looked at the teen sadly. His silence was all they needed to confirm Happy's theory.

"Tsk." The Dragonslayer murmured to himself silently before staring at the little blue cat that was his partner and pet.

"Fine. You can follow me." The cat's eyes widened in joy before Natsu continued "But we're going to train to be the strongest there is! So no whining about the training! It's going to be the harshest you've ever had!"

"Aye sir!"

The members of the guild smiled as the tension diffused and everyone shared a chuckle at the antics of the eccentric cat.

"Alright… we'd better get going then."

"Oi… aren't you waiting for the Master?" Gray asked.

"Curious, Mirajane is also suspiciously missing." This came from Erza who frowned at the fact that Mirajane had not come to see the Dragonslayer off.

"Mirajane isn't coming. _I'd be surprised if she did after what I did._ "He muttered the last part silently to himself, before he began walking away "Knowing Jiji, he'll probably meet me off on my way."

Natsu allowed Happy to stay on his head and nap as he slowly began departing from the guild. He needed to do so before he began having second thoughts about leaving, he had made up his mind, and didn't want to change it.

His goal was there in his sights, to gain as much strength as possible to make himself an S-class mage, and then surpass that limit to become an SS-Class mage to become stronger than even Gildarts himself. Natsu however, knew his first problem would be knowledge. Admittedly, growing up with a foster-dragon parent ruined his basic knowledge skills, as he found himself not even understanding references people twice his age did. He wasn't the sharpest knife in the shed, and that was his ultimate weakness. Well, at least other than transportation.

It was common knowledge – even by Natsu's standards – that the strength of a mage was indicated and determined by the knowledge they possessed on their magical power, the amount of eternano they possessed, and of course their creative imagination which allowed them to come up with ingenious ideas for their unique powers.

Natsu was never going to let himself be blinded by naivety or stupidity ever again.

"NATSU DRAGNEEL!"

The Dragonslayer turned as he spotted to his surprise, both Mirajane and the Guild Master Makarov as they stood at the gate of the Fairy Tail guild, with the Master's hands crossed as he closed his eyes.

"This is the Fairy Tail Farewell Ceremony! You must never forget the three laws!" the Guild Master yelled, as he pointed at Natsu, and Happy – though the latter was asleep.

"First! You must never, for as long as you live, reveal any tactics which could prove to be a handicap of Fairy Tail!"

Natsu grinned as he stared at the determined face of the old man with equal fire in his eyes.

"Second! You must never contact past clients of the Guild for personal Gain!"

Natsu nearly laughed at that as he looked at Mirajane, and noticed, that her eyes were trained on him.

" _I forgive you_." She mouthed softly, before smiling.

" _Thank you."_ He mouthed back as he watched the guild's mixed reactions to his departure.

"And finally, Third! Though our parts may have diverged, you must continue to live out your life with all your might! You must _never_ consider your own life to be of little value!"

"And you must never!" Mirajane continued smiling as the entire guild followed in to yell the final rule.

"NEVER FORGET ABOUT THE FRIENDS WHO LOVED YOU!" the voices echoed as one and Natsu had to bite back the stingy tears which threatened to leak out from his eyes.

"Remember Natsu, there's nothing you can't do as long as you have the spirit of the guild, because…"

"WE ARE FAIRY TAIL!"

" _Oi, you wanna go matchstick?"_

" _I'll take you on anyday you popsicle!"_

" _Stop fighting!"_

 _BONG!_

" _Hahaha! *hic* Erza took them out *hic* with one punch!"_

" _I think you've drank enough Cana."_

" _Says the guy who smokes eight packs a day; Wakaba, I'm surprised you haven't killed yourself yet!"_

" _Oi! I don't smoke that much Mira. And put some more acceptable clothes on! You're showing too much skin!"_

" _Ha! As expected, she has no sense of decency whatsoever!"_

" _At least I have skin to show, and I don't cover up my body in armor like you chubby!"_

 _CRASH!_

" _My cake…"_

" _Uh-oh…"_

" _FIGHT!"_

" _Noo! I just finally replaced the Furniture yesterday!"_

" _You should have expected this from these idiots, Jiji. This is Fairy Tail after all."_

" _Sigh… yes, this is Fairy Tail."_

"RRRRAAAAH!" the Dragonslayer roared at the top of his voice as a stream of fire shot out, to everyone's surprise, the fire morphed and turned, until it became the shape they were all familiar with.

It became the symbol of the Guild, burning brightly in the sky as a giant embodiment of the hopes, dreams and trust possessed by each and every member.

' _Yes… we are Fairy Tail.'._

' _But… in my life…'_ Natsu thought as the now hooded Dragonslayer turned away from his work.

The symbol brightened, before vanishing from the sky, and once everyone had recovered from the awe of the excellent pyrotechnics, they all realized Natsu Dragneel was nowhere to be found.

'… _there are no fairy tales.'_

_- _The~Slayer-__

* * *

 **Fiore**

 **Barren Wasteland**

Mard Geer was a genius. He was a demon of the book of Zeref who'd ranked amongst the most powerful. Mard Geer was a strategist, a masterful manipulator of thoughts and emotions. He was all of these things and more, and yet, in all his years of existence, he'd found out today, that he was pitifully _weak_.

It all began simply enough, with the aid of immortality on his side, he'd uncovered a legend of an ancient being that was sealed away from a time even long before his master Zeref was born. Zeref himself had spent eons roaming the earth trying to find the ancient tome, but however the god Ankersham had intentionally misled and _prevented_ Zeref from finding it.

This was because the god _knew_ that the being Zeref sought was strong enough to kill him. The being was the herald of apocalypse and the avatar of chaos and destruction. It would be capable of more than just killing Zeref, it would _kill_ the _god_ himself.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on however one decided to look at it, there was a loophole that would allow Zeref to free the being. That loophole was his creations, the Etherious demons.

After an eternity of searching, the Nine Gates of Hell had found and undid the seal which was said to hold back unspeakable evil.

They immediately regretted their decision.

The beast, had come forth, long red locks of hair that flowed down his back, shirtless bare torso which revealed an ungodly toned body and frame that could make a woman weak at the knees from the sight. He had black pants on and black sandals, being the only thing on his frame apart from a necklace which hung on his shoulder. His eyes were red with slits, and he had long sharp black claws for nails.

The most stunning feature, was the long, flowing ten furry red tails which encased behind him like a magnificent peacock.

As soon as he was freed, they attempted to reason with him, to get him to work with them. Ignorant as Mard Geer and the other Etherious were, they had no idea that Zeref had ordered them to find this being, in order for the being to _kill_ him, and had instead supposed that their goal was to make him an ally.

Their ploy had failed miserably.

" **Since when does the lion become friends with the bacteria that rots the remains of its meal?** " The creature had asked, amused smirk plastered on its face.

Effortlessly, the ten-tailed being attacked the Etherious, and proceeded to decimate them as though they were mere kindergarten children facing a fully grown military veteran. None had escaped from the onslaught unscathed, and several of their members had actually been _killed_. In those moments, Mard Geer felt an emotion so foreign to him, he questioned the very plausibility of its existence.

He felt pure, unbridled, primal, _fear._

" **You claim to be immortal demons? Allow me to examine the true extent of your immortality…** " The demon grinned " **... as you regenerate from ashes.** ''

With those words, he created a concentrated ball of energy that was foreign to the demons, and slowly, a loud screeching sound was heard all across the clearing, so loud that the Etherious demons had to cover their ears. The being smirked as it whispered the name of the attack. The name of the attack would forever remain ingrained into Mard Geer's memory for as long as he lived.

" _ **Bijūdama Rasenshuriken**_ **."**

With those words, Mard Geer realized he had released unto the world, a being capable of creating total destruction, a being that had intelligence but no morals, power, but no restraint, chaos and absolutely no sense of order.

They had released a being that would bring about the apocalypse as the sky rained blood and the earth was replaced with mountains of dead mutilated flesh. They had unleashed a creature that would sit back and laugh as the entire earth caught on flames and as every living being was snuffed out of reality.

They had unleashed the very end of existence.

And its name… was _Kurama_.

* * *

 _ **A/N**_ **: I think this is the first Fairy tail/Naruto Crossover fic to introduce Kurama as a major character/antagonist, that I know of... so expect it to a bit edgier and darker than most. Next Update will be Christmas Day!**

 **R &R!**

 ** _Silent Songbird._**


	2. The Dragon, The Princess and The Monster

**A/N: Okay, first of all Merry Christmas guys! Here's Silent Songbird giving you a chapter to sweeten your Xmas Holiday! I guarantee you sweetness that'll leave your teeth rotting and your blood sugar rising. So, after thinking about it, I decided to bump the Rating up to M just to be on the safe side. So, you'll have to search for it with the M filter to find it now. Anyways... to the Four People who reviewed, I give you wonderful Virtual Cookies! To those who didn't... maybe this'll change your mind.**

 **~~ The Slayer ~~**

 **Chapter 1**

 **The Dragon, the Princess and the Monster**

 **Fiore**

 **Hargeon Town**

 **Two Years Later…**

Natsu sighed to himself as he took in the sweet fresh air of Hargeon Town. Being so close to the sea was refreshing, yet at the same time, he felt nostalgic as this was the first town he had gone to when he started his journey. It had been two years since then. Two long grueling years. He had been training for those two years. He had thrown himself into a lifestyle of nothing but training. A thousand pushups and sit ups in the morning. Speed exercises by dodging and outrunning some of the fastest magical cheetahs in the world. His strength training was done by _tying_ a _boulder_ to one hand while climbing a _sixty-foot_ cliff with the other. He'd then go on to see if he could break rock with his bare hands, once that was done he'd try and see if he could shatter rocks with a single punch. Once he could, he moved on to _steel_. His endurance exercises usually involved handicapping himself while facing a certain treacherous climate. All of his training took place in conditions in which failure meant death, but success would reap amazing results.

More than once, he and Happy had hauled their injured, broken bodies to Porlyusica's house in Magnolia, all the while pleading with the woman not to inform Markarov or anyone from the guild about his presence there. It was only after the _thirteenth_ time he'd appeared on her doorstep with hairline fractures on _every_ bone in his body that she felt enough was enough. It was only after she'd healed him, whacked him over the head for good measure for his insane training that was nearly killing him, and gave him a medicine to drink which boosted the strength and durability of his bones and muscles that she finally told Makarov. The Guild Master had then been relaying quests to him, which he could complete on his journey, as well as giving him the last known location of Gildarts. Porlyusica on the other hand had given him some books on magical healing processes and said that she didn't want to see him on her door step ever again. Surprisingly, Natsu no longer needed to go see her, after her potion had strengthened his bones, he could handle his insane training without almost killing himself anymore. That, and spending four months travelling and training with Gildarts as a teacher/sparring partner definitely increased his endurance. However, the results of his training spoke for themselves. Whenever someone told him he was frightfully powerful, he'd tell them of his insane training. It was especially amusing to watch people react when he told them he'd _jumped_ inside an _active_ volcano in order to train his ability to control fire.

Either way though, his current reason for visiting Hargeon Town was to track down a Dark Mage in the area. Rumor had it that it was a particularly nasty one who was a slave trader. Though, Natsu couldn't help but wonder who the hell the mage was supplying to.

"Oi Natsu!" the Dragonslayer stopped his train of thought once he'd heard his faithful companion follow behind him.

"Yes Happy?"

"I think we forgot some luggage on the train."

"…You forgot the sleeping bags again didn't you."

"Aye."

Natsu sighed. Once again, another day in the life of the Dragonslayer. He turned around, ready to chase after the train, only to surprisingly bump into someone that wasn't looking at where they were going.

' _Great… here we go.'_

 **Several Minutes earlier…**

 **Lucy's P.O.V.**

Lucy Heartfilia was not happy. She had finally gotten free of her father's control, and now, she was starting to actualize her dream of her becoming a mage, however, she actually had no idea of how to go about that, and how to join the guild of her dreams, Fairy Tail. With brown eyes and shoulder length blond hair tied by a blue ribbon to a small ponytail to the right side of her head, she was considered attractive by most males. She sported a white shirt with blue stripes and a very short blue skirt which barely reached her middle thigh, with matching black, leather high-heeled boots.

' _I can't believe that even with all my sex appeal, I only got a one thousand jewels discount!'_

She muttered silently to herself as she walked through the popular port town known as Hargeon. She had come here due to hearing that there were mages somewhere in the vicinity, as they usually came to Hargeon as a major stop. She had been hoping to run into someone from any of the top tier guilds she could enter.

' _Is my sex appeal only worth one thousand jewels? How insulting! I've had men actually willing to marry me for billions!'_

She thought angrily as she stormed her way forward, only for her to trip suddenly as she crashed into someone unexpected.

' _Gah! What's with my luck today!'_ were her thoughts just before she felt the force counter act her and push her down against the ground.

' _Eep!_ ' She blushed angrily as the person who had pushed her down copped a feel of her breasts.

"Oh! Sorry about that" she heard the distinctively male voice reply.

"You think! You per-" Lucy's eyes widened as she got a good look at the man who she'd run into.

 _Ba-Dump!_

He had brilliant pink eyes which reminded Lucy of the quixotic falling of cherry blossom leaves. He possessed a well-developed facial frame which was sharp and precise, lacking all forms of baby fat whatsoever, as though molded with clay, and perfected with chisels. He had spiky long strands of pink hair which extended into long bangs which framed the front of his face, framing his already pristine features. The pink hair had a distinctive trait in that it was a rather dark shade of pink and the tips of the hair were visibly red, as well as the presence of red accents on it. His facial features were the embodiment of the fantasy, as though crafted by the angels themselves. If Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty herself, possessed a mortal son, this young man would be him.

 _Ba-Dump!_

Lucy could feel the hard muscles underneath, which belied an active lifestyle and a proper diet. Lastly, his outfit consisted of an open-collared, one-sleeved black waistcoat, which was tucked in neatly and zipped, which was worn underneath a long black coat. He also had a pink scarf wrapped comfortably around his neck.

 _Ba-Dump!_

' _Wow…'_ Lucy felt heat rise to her cheeks at his sight. Living a relatively sheltered life, she'd never really had time to enjoy the thrills of being a teenager like dating. Her father would never hear of such a thing, and was more content for her to marry an 'approved' suitor. As such she was still a teenage girl and by default was prone to such feelings.

 _Ba-Dump! Ba-Dump!_

It was only made worse when she realized that their fall had put them in a rather compromising position, as she could tell that her legs where wrapped against his, and their nether regions where way too close for comfort.

Lucy's face heated up like a tomato upon realization, and froze as she could feel her heart beat rise faster in her chest.

"Oi Natsu! Can't you get a room? Or at least a dark corner… you shouldn't do this kind of things in public you know."

Ba-Dum-CRASH!

Those words where all that the girl needed to be brought back to life.

"PERVERT!"

She yelled reflexively as she pushed him off her and tried punching him. _Tried_ being the keyword, as her fist hit him and she felt as though she'd hit a steel beam. He showed no signs of damage, while she cradled her hand. _'What the hell is he made of? Titanium?'_

"Geez Happy! What have I told you about saying such perverted stuff out loud?"

Lucy turned to the source of the voice, only to look in surprise as she saw a small blue cat. The cat wore a black vest with the image of a flaming fish behind it, a small necklace with a tiny emerald jewel on it, and had a pair of green goggles over its head, just below its ears.

She felt it was the both the cutest and coolest cat she'd ever seen. "Your cat talked!" she pointed at the feline in a blend of shock and awe.

Happy, for himself, did nothing but smile at the girl "That's not nice. You don't see me pointing at you yelling 'the big boobed monster talks!' now do you?"

It took Lucy less than a second to realize that the cat had both insulted her and reprimanded her in one stroke. "Sorry… and hey! I'm not a big boobed monster!"

"Sigh… Ignore him, or he'll never stop." The young man identified as Natsu spoke "Sorry about that by the way. I'm Natsu Dragneel, and the smart-mouthed one here is Happy."

"Don't mention it…" no really, she wanted to forget the embarrassing incident "I'm Lucy".

"Nice to meet you." The pink haired teen stated "I'd love to stay and chat but…"

"Natsu forgot his luggage on the train." Happy added helpfully.

"Don't mean _you_ forgot the luggage _you_ were supposed to be carrying?" the teen snapped at the cat before sighing "Sorry, I've got to run. Maybe I'll see you around after I get my luggage back?" he stated with a smile.

"O-okay… sure."

"Thanks!" the teen stated as he briskly walked away. The girl glanced forlornly at the boy's retreating form, her mind slowly replaying the events of their meeting, as she let out a soft sigh.

"Bye booby-san!"

"Don't call me that you damn cat!" she yelled reflexively, pointlessly, as she noted, that they'd already left, becoming mere specks in her vision.

"I wonder if he was a mage..." Lucy thought blankly to herself as she dusted off her skirt and tried to ignore the heat that came to her face when she remembered the rather compromising position she'd been in earlier.

Of course it'd still be on her mind, seeing as how she'd lived in seclusion all her life in a mansion, she never really had much chance for social interactions with girls her own age, much less boys. Of course she'd read countless novels on romance and adventure, of love and betrayal, but they all paled in comparison to the real deal. It was also part of her reason for becoming a mage, she wanted to see the entire world with her own eyes, and of course write her own novel which detailed the amazing adventures she would have survived.

Lucy walked away slowly, trying to shake her thoughts off of the young boy. He'd been the first boy that had actually touched her in such a manner, accidentally or not, and seconds later they had been in the most compromising position imaginable. The description reminded her of one of her particularly racy novels which she secretly enjoyed and usually hid under her bed… she'd of course die of embarrassment if anyone found out she read such works.

' _Gah! Too many of my romance novels start with the whole accidental meeting crap! I was hoping my love life won't turn out to be a copy of those things!'_

A bittersweet smile came to her face, as once she remembered her novels, she remembered her home. Her home had been a place of great joy and great sorrow, but above all things, it would always remain her home.

"Did you hear? A famous mage is in town!"

Lucy was drawn out of her memories by a voice as she heard the girls around her whisper in excited tones.

"Who is it?"

"It's Salamander! The Salamander!"

"Wow!"

"Salamander? Isn't that the wandering mage from Fairy Tail?"

"Yeah! They say he's the only mage of Fairy Tail who doesn't cause massive property wherever he goes!"

' _I can't believe my luck! A mage of Fairy Tail actually came to this town!_ 'Lucy thought excitedly to herself as she dashed towards the noisiest area in the town, noticing idly that the crowd was mostly made up of girls.

As soon as she dashed towards the crowd, she watched with a small amount of awe as she saw the wizard called Salamander. With purple hair and a beard, dressed in flamboyant clothes, rose in hand and charming smile, he appeared as though he was the knight out of a fantasy. She felt her heart beat rise as she stared at the handsome, amazing wizard who did magnificent tricks with fire, and gazed at her with his eyes. She was twitterpated with him. The sudden urge of infatuation had completely overridden her body of her command, leaving her incapable of doing anything, but to stare in awe

' _Wow! He's amazing… why… why is my heart beating so wildly?'_

"Ah! There you are, you dropped this while we crashed." Lucy turned around and saw the pink haired teen called Natsu. Happy as usual, lazily lay on the boy's hair. In his hands, were a silver key, the very same which she had recently bought.

"Happy was able to get the luggage before the train left- are you alright?" As he handed her the spirit key, her amazement with Salamander crashed into pieces as though it was shattered glass.

"What's going on here?" Natsu said aloud to the girls in the area, and to Salamander himself. Instantaneously, said girls felt as though glass had shattered on their skin. At that time and moment, the unexpected happened.

"Woah! Who's he?"

"Don't know! But he's dreamier than this other guy for sure!"

"Wow! He's so sexy!"

"Look at the cat on his head! It's the cutest thing I've ever seen!"

"Kawaii!"

Natsu, had unwittingly not broken the spell, he'd _hijacked_ it. In seconds, the pink haired teen was surrounded by tons of girls fawning over him and shooting him a barrage of inane questions.

Lucy however had instantly understood what happened. ' _That was charm magic, Salamander was using it to control the girl, but…?_ ' She thought to herself silently.

"Gah! What the hell?" Natsu said to himself as he tried to back away, only to no avail as he was surrounded by numerous girls who started pressing themselves on him.

' _Natsu didn't break it, he seemed to have… taken control over it? How is that even possible?'_ she wondered to herself. Turning around, she noticed the 'Salamander' looking just as shocked as she was, and apparently tapping the ring on his finger constantly. Lucy bristled in anger and was about to give the man a piece of her mind, before she suddenly felt herself being grabbed by the arm as she was pulled away.

"Natsu? How-"

"Shh! Let's get out of here before they notice my decoy!" the teen whispered to her as they ran off, Happy, of course, sleeping lazily on the teen's head.

Lucy managed to turn around, and noticed that apparently, the girls where now surrounding a large doll which looked exactly like the teen – clothes and all – but was made out of foam.

' _Where was he keeping that?!'_ Lucy thought to herself as the duo dashed down the street and went out of sight.

"Eh? Wait a minute! This is a fake!"

"Where did he go?"

"Find him!"

"Find the pink haired hottie! And his little cat too!"

"Yeah!"

All the girls had dispersed, leaving a very confused and very annoyed 'Salamander' standing alone "Well then. Plan B it is".

 _~~~~~~~~The Slayer~~~~~~~~~~`_

* * *

 **Later…**

"You didn't have to treat me to lunch you know." Natsu stated as he ate from a bowl of noodles slowly, the chopsticks in his hands moving expertly like a fine critic. For some weird reason he himself couldn't quite explain, he'd become addicted to the stuff. He ate it whenever he could, and at certain times had to force himself to eat something else in order to maintain a healthy diet. Otherwise, he'd be eating nothing but ramen noodles all the time.

"It's nothing… I mean, I owe you three times now, for bumping into you, for bringing back my key, and for snapping me out of that jerk's spell." She said with a smile as she waved off the boy's concerns. Natsu frowned slightly, his masculine pride not wanting to collect the food, contrasting deeply with his semi-empty wallet.

"Aye! Just accept the free food Natsu! It's free food! No one ever offers to give us free food!" The cat called Happy stated as he took a huge bite out of the large piece of fish he'd ordered with barely restrained glee. Some things never changed at least.

"Oi, that doesn't mean you should order everything on the menu and clear out her purse. It's ungentlemanly." Natsu never noticed the irony of his statement, had it been said two years earlier.

"I'm a cat."

"Then it's ungentle-cat-ly."

There was an awkward moment of silence from which even the rolling tumbleweed felt it wasn't getting paid enough to interfere.

"That was lame Natsu even for you…" the cat whined and the boy cringed and laughed it off awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head "Besides, she doesn't mind." Happy argued "You said she's loaded with money."

"Eh?!" Lucy was startled at this revelation, "What do you mean? I'm not loaded with money!" _'Does… does he know who I really am?'_ Lucy's mind was running at several thousand miles per second.

Both Happy and Natsu looked at her with one eye raised.

"What?" she asked, surprised and a little fearful their reaction as she nervously sipped her drink _'They know?!'_ Fear had set in as she wondered if they were kidnappers, looking to use her to get a ransom, or horrible evil rapists who only went after rich girls and would use her body for vile magic after they were done. Or perhaps she was overthinking things and they were simply people who'd seen her at a rich social gathering before and wanted a loan.

"Well…" the pink haired teen stated "…you smell of perfumes and bathing soaps. That's normal for a girl, your age though, but I can also detect _way_ too much moisturizers, hair sprays and creams" he paused as he took a long slurp of his noodles "… most of which are all high-quality brands, meaning only people who have enough money to spare could possibly buy and use so much." He then smirked slightly at her "This means you're not middle-class, and definitely not poor."

Lucy did a perfect example of a flawless spit-take as she dropped her drink to stare at the teen in shock. Thankfully, both boy and cat had moved to the side to avoid the spray. She could see the barely hidden amusement in his eyes at well. _'Jerk… he expected me to do that.'_

Regardless, she couldn't help but think, what kind of absurd sense of smell did he have? Or was it the cat? But cats didn't have such a good sense of smell did they? No, the cat already stated that the teen was the one who provided him with the information. There _was_ a slight part of her that felt violated knowing that a guy had smelt her body's perfumes.

"Aye! There's also the fact that you look like someone that's never done a day of hard work in their lives!" the cat continued unperturbed as he dug into his fish.

Lucy's eyes twitched at the barely veiled insult.

"So if you say you don't have money… you're either a run-away from home, or you recently lost all your wealth." Natsu added kindly.

Lucy's breath hitched in her throat. Wait a minute; he didn't even try to refute the cat's previous statement!

Natsu continued unperturbed "I don't see you crying, and not to mention the fact that you also didn't give me your last name," Lucy unconsciously winced at that; she didn't think he'd notice. "I'd say my answer is most likely the former."

' _Who is this guy?'_ she thought in awe, and a slight amount of fear. In the few hours that she'd met him, he'd been able to determine her origins, and figure out her secret that she was running away from.

"That was… amazing. You're really smart." she couldn't help but say.

"Yes, I am." Natsu stated with pride, it was a fact that filled him up with pride whenever someone told him that. It had taken a long time to actually eliminate his naivety and idiocy. Or at least tone it down to a negligible percentage.

Lucy sweatdropped "Not lacking any confidence are we?"

"Aye! Natsu is the most overconfident person I know!" The cat chirped happily swelling Natsu's ego even more "It always comes back to bite him in the end." The ego deflated faster than it swelled.

"Oi… don't forget who provides you with your special fish Happy."

"No! Not the fish! You monster! I'll be good!"

Lucy just couldn't help it and started laughing, her mellifluous laughter causing a slight pink hue to appear on Natsu's cheeks. She had never met a pair like these two in her entire life.

"Are you a detective of some sort?" she wondered aloud, watching as Natsu regained his calm demeanor.

"Hmm… not really" he said as he took a sip of water "I did work as a P.I. for some time though."

"Really?"

"Aye! Natsu ruined lots of marriages and relationships during his time as a P.I., he even destroyed families because of his _nose_!" Lucy sweatdropped at the cat's deadpan statement.

"Oi! You didn't need to tell her that!" Natsu snapped "Don't forget about the fish!" he threatened.

"Eh? But I'm just saying the truth! You also got to enjoy lots of women who all ha- mmpfh!"

Natsu smirked as he forced down several large slices of fish to stop the cat from continuing that particular bit of information.

"Okay…" Lucy wondered slightly for the sanity of the duo, as apparently they had proven that they could go from serious detectives to idiotic clowns in seconds.

"Ehem! Now were where we?" Natsu stated with a smile as he watched gleefully as Happy comically try to swallow the large fish in his mouth.

"I was thinking about that, with that Salamander guy, how did you hijack his charm spell?" She asked curiously.

"What?"

"I asked how did you-"

"No before that. What did you call him? That guy?" he asked seriously, suddenly having transformed back into serious mode once more.

 _Scary!_ "Salamander?"

"He called himself Salamander?" Natsu asked before looking back at Happy who narrowed his eyes as well.

"Y-yeah."

"Tsk… Of all the nerve."

"Eh?" Lucy looked somewhat confused at the teen's changed demeanor. Did he have some sort of personal issue with the mage?

"Happy."

"Aye." That was all that needed to be said for the cat to finish his meal, wipe his paws and hop onto the teen's hair.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked ' _Is it something I said?_ '

"Nothing to concern yourself with hime" Natsu glanced at her with a smile, one which possessed less of a shine as the first one he'd given her.

"H-hime!?" she sputtered, only to stare in awe as the teen grabbed her left hand and gently kissed her fingers.

"Thank you for the meal." With those words, he turned, black cloak billowing after him irrespective of the lack of wind, as he walked out of the restaurant, with many of the female customers and staff giving the blonde girl jealous glances.

Lucy however, could not help but remain rooted to the spot, her face doing its greatest imitation of a ripe tomato. Her heat beat wildly in her chest, threatened to break through, her mind blank as it tried to slowly commute to memory the events that had just taken place.

' _That was… he… I…'_ scattered thoughts ran through her mind as she embarrassedly hit her head on the table with a groan.

' _He called me hime and kissed my hand, and I just sat there and couldn't even say anything! Gah! Why does he make me so flustered! Stupid pink-haired jerk messing with my head!'_

"Ah-hem. Ma'am here's the bill."

"Eh?" Lucy glanced up to stare at the male waiter, before collecting the slip of paper from his hand.

"EHHHHHHH!" she yelled as she saw the numbers on the bill. Most of it, however, was for several servings of different kinds of assorted fish.

' _He knew!'_ "CURSE YOU HAPPY THE CAT!"

 _~~~~~~~~The Slayer~~~~~~~~~~`_

* * *

 **Hargeon Town**

 **Later that evening…**

Lucy did not want to go for the party. She really didn't, but all the same, she had felt that she'd feed 'Salamander's ego long enough to fool him and join Fairy Tail. It was the best she could possibly hope for. Which also reminded her to get a copy of the latest magazines, the Salamander was supposedly ranked as number three in the list of top mages girls would want as their boyfriend. Yet, she couldn't quite picture him as being attractive enough to make the cut. Someone like Natsu would seem more fitting than 'Salamander'.

The sun had cooled down comparably to the heated afternoon, the nocturnal creatures had surfaced from their hidden spots to dwell in the comfortable darkness of the night, and the beautiful orange hue which painted the sky that marked sunset had faded into oblivion.

Lucy sighed softly to herself as she found herself on what seemed to be a luxurious cruise ship, observing the party as she spotted multiple young women all wining and dancing with the finest the ship had to offer. She had changed her outfit to a sleeveless, backless, long wine-red gown which opened with a long slit starting from her thigh at the right side of the dress. Her thigh sported a golden band, and her hairband had been replaced with a red version, though the hair was styled the same way and she wore a wine-red bow on her neck, and a matching pair of shoes. She was in every way and form, both naturally beautiful and aesthetically appealing.

She observed the girls enjoying themselves at the party, giggling and laughing, smiling and relishing in the attention of other guests, in contrast to how she stood alone at the rails of the ship, turning down drinks and possessing a nonchalant scowl on her features.

She had partook of her fair share of parties and events much more glamorous than the one she currently observed now, and as such, it had lost whatever flair it ever possessed. Especially as how, most of the times she attended parties like this were to meet with potential suitors, and to of course display her as an object or trophy to be won by the highest bidder.

It was disgusting. She thought to herself. Shivering slightly as the frigid sea breeze of the cold night showered her form, she subconsciously held her hands over her chest, regretting the choice to boost her confidence in such an outfit, one which disallowed the use of a bra. There was nothing shameful about letting nipples show through her dress, though more unsavory characters would read more into it and take it as an 'invitation'.

They were perverts, the most of them. Though, she'd be lying to herself if she denied that she didn't at times have such thoughts run through her head once or twice. On that note… an image of a pink-haired teen briefly flashed through her mind.

' _Stupid cocky pink-haired jerk…'_ though her thoughts lacked any real heat to them, she still couldn't help but wonder about the teen. Natsu. His name meant summer, and it was fitting given the warmth and glow around the boy wherever he went, his bright smile, and even the pink shades of his hair that resembled cherry blossoms. She idly wondered if the red accents she noted where dyed in or if they were natural. Though he didn't seem to be the type of person that'd actually dye his hair, it could be possible.

' _Gah! Get a grip Lucy! This isn't a TV show! You can't fall for a guy that randomly bumps into you and says hello! No matter how hot he is!'_ Natsu was smart, he was handsome, and he possessed a god-like sense of smell, a sense of humor, a firm body and a kind heart. Though the last one was a bit questionable, seeing as how he'd confounded her enough to make a quick getaway and avoid paying the extravagant bill garnered by his pet from the restaurant. Either way, someone with so much 'weapons' in his arsenal was bound to either be bad-news, or already taken. He did not have to be taken by another girl, but rather by commitments, vows, oaths, promises, grief, regret or vengeance. It was the number one rule of all handsome guys in her novels. And sadly enough, it was almost always true.

"Ah! There you are! Lucy was it? I've been waiting for you!" the cold, slimy and falsely caring voice sent another shiver down her skin, one in which 'Salamander' mistook for her being affected by the cold.

"The sea weather is quite cold, but it's nothing one such as I can't fix!" With a snap of his fingers, a glowing purple magical circle appeared with a dull glow under his feet and surged forward, circling the duo in what would look to a passive observer as a flaming heart.

Lucy almost cringed at the clichéd display, though she'd never openly admit the fact that she was thankful for the heat.

"Now my fair maiden, allow me to give you a deluxe tour of my wonderful ship."

"No."

"I beg your pardon?" 'Salamander' blinked at the forceful way the blonde rejected his offer.

"I didn't agree to come to your party as your date or to hang off your shoulders as a trophy." Lucy closed her eyes as she pushed back a stray hair which fell out of her head. Her hands were crossed and her lips pursed as she leaned against the railing, watching as the flaming heart vanished away into nothing. She'd already seen 'Salamander' use charm magic before, and as such she didn't trust going anywhere near him alone.

"I came here to join Fairy Tail." Her eyes opened and possessed a particular gleam to them, staring straight at 'Salamander' with a certain element of vehemence.

"Of course! Of course! Just let me, er… go get the register and guild stamp…" the man muttered as he awkwardly walked away slowly, his hands subtly balled into fists and started shaking. He gave a few hushed orders to a some butlers before he walked inside.

Lucy had relaxed into a calm pose as she found herself once more in her element. No matter how much she hated formal events or being displayed as a trophy, she could not deny the fact once she found herself in those particular situations, her personality would change. Her façade would instantly spring up to create a distance between herself and the event. And even then, the voices, the voices she had escaped from plagued her.

' _Smile and laugh, but not too much or the man will feel you're patronizing him.'_

' _Be confident and alluring because rich, powerful men don't want weak or shy wives.'_

' _Playing hard to get gives them a challenge that their pride and ego feels they must overcome, yet not too much or they'll consider you insufferable.'_

Her father's voice echoed in her mind and she found herself clenching her fists and gritting her teeth. The more she stayed on the ship, the more she remembered. She needed to get out of here… to leave… she needed to…

 _Wait…._ Lucy paused a minute in her inner tirade as a thought suddenly sprung up to the forefront of her mind. Other than the somewhat thuggish looking butlers, there were absolutely _no other_ males on the ship except for Salamander himself.

Of course and then the butlers themselves, they possessed no tact, no finesse, they lacked manners or grace. She'd seen professional butlers act a thousand and one times, some like a particular black haired one that served a famous young toymaker, had extraordinary skill that couldn't possibly be human. Hell, Lucy was sure she'd make a better butler than these wannabes. Surely, Salamander for all his showmanship would have thought to hire professionals instead of what looked to be common thugs dressed up in suits. And then of course there was also the overwhelming fact that the ship seemed to be getting further and further away from shore. Generally it was to be expected for events such as this, but normally, the ship wasn't to stray too far away, and at the very least it shouldn't seem as though it was leaving the mainland.

"No way… it's not possible…" Lucy began to connect the dots together, and the only logical conclusion she could reach was slowly filling her with dread. A ship filled entirely with women, leaving the mainland where no plea for help could be heard, butlers that were more or less thugs dressed in suits. And of course… the owner of the ship was someone who'd already been caught using mind-altering magic on unsuspecting women for his own personal agenda.

"I'm a fool." Her fears were only confirmed when she noticed women dropping around her, all of them swaying before collapsing on the floor as though they were drunk. But she knew it was not the case, the drinks had most likely been spiked. For once she thanked her paranoia and her father's insistence for her to never take a drink brought to her by a potential suitor. Yet, he'd only done that _after_ she'd been drugged once. And somehow it was _still_ her fault.

' _Now's not the time to reminisce Lucy… I need to get out of here.'_

"Oi! That girl over there is still awake!" One of the 'butlers' said.

"What? I thought all the drinks were all spiked?"

"They were! She must not have had any!"

"Really? What kind of person comes to party and doesn't take any drinks?"

"The overly paranoid kind!" Lucy yelled out as she brought out her whip which had been hidden under her dress.

In a practiced motion, she charged forward, whip outstretched backwards before she snapped it forward and have it stun two butlers as it crashed against their faces, leaving a sore red mark as they stumbled back yelling in pain. Swiftly, she grabbed two drinks from a nearby table and splashed it into the eyes of two other butlers, smashing the empty glass against a table and holding it in a threatening position while the hand holding her whip landed confidently on her key-case, ready to summon any of her spirits at moment's notice.

She then noticed that the butlers around her had thrown off their suits, revealing themselves to be nothing but mere thugs. They all gathered around her each of them wielding hammers, maces or swords and sporting leering grins. Just as she got ready to summon Taurus, the sound of a slow drawn applause reached her ears.

"Marvelous! I knew you were more interesting than the rest of this sheeple, but I didn't think you'd be this capable. I'm almost tempted to keep you for myself!" Standing above on the balcony garbed in his usual attire 'Salamander' sported a smug grin on his face.

"Keep me? Just who do you think you are!" Lucy roared, clenching her fist as she tossed the spiky glass towards the smug man. He dodged easily, the glass flying behind him and shattering towards the wall.

"Me? I am but a humble mage and owner of this cargo ship."

"Cargo ship?!"

"Of course. This is a cargo ship which conveys _live_ goods and exquisite items." The man indicated to the dozens of women who had been bound up and were unconscious on the floor.

"Items? These are people!" she yelled out in exasperation.

"They are women." He countered.

Lucy looked baffled at the man before she grit her teeth "That's the most sexist thing I've ever heard!"

'Salamander' shrugged and continued "Does it matter? You are all lesser beings that contribute little to the grand scale of things. You're sole purpose as inspired by the heavens is to be under a man in the bedroom and in life." The man continued onwards, ignoring Lucy's icy glare as he stared blatantly at her chest.

"How'd you like it if someone said the same about your mother!" she screamed in anger.

"It makes no difference to me. My mother was a commercial sex worker who never wanted a child in the first place. When she wasn't ignoring me or beating the crap out of me, she used me to _practice_ the tricks of her trade." He spat bitterly, almost making Lucy wince.

"She made me realize how pointless all women her. She was my first, and well, I was her _last_. Last thing she saw, felt or did. That is, while she was _alive_ anyway." 'Salamander' burst into laughter and ignored the fact that even his own men had uncomfortably shifted away from him.

"You are a sick, deranged, perverted little man. And you have my sympathy." Lucy shook her head in disgust, but yet, at the same time realized his current personality was as a result of bad parenting.

"You're sympathy is as useless to me as your entire existence. Now where was I? Oh yes. You see most of you women have gained an inflated ego and feel you're too good for your role. So, several people from both Fiore and beyond pay me a hefty sum to acquire the finest specimen possible. This shipment is going to a particularly wealthy and powerful warlord." He continued as he jumped into the air and walked with fire circling under his feet.

"And you… are going to be his favorite!" 'Salamander' grinned as he charged forward, faster than Lucy could react, and grabbed her by the arms. Lucy squirmed and struggled in his grasp but couldn't summon the strength to escape.

"Let go of me!" she tried to grab her keys only for 'Salamander' to take it away from her.

"Celestial Mage eh? Too bad you're not really a threat without these." He effortlessly tossed the keys overboard with a flick of his wrist, watching with perverted glee as Lucy's eyes widened.

"NO! Gah! Let go of me!"

"Of course because saying it twice will make me listen…" he rolled his eyes as he forcefully held the girl "My mother was a blonde you know… the woman felt it was useful in her endeavors… in a way you remind me so much of her…"

"No way you creep!" she yelled and tried to kick him in the groin, only to fail as he dodged effortlessly.

"Oh… and with a bit of fight in you, I think I'll keep you for myself after all… and I have so much plans for that whip of yours". The man grinned as he slowly licked the nape of her neck, sending shivers of disgust and goosebumps running through Lucy's entire body.

Lucy's heart beat elevated as she could feel the blood rush through her veins. She could hear the sound of her own heart pumping and found herself unable to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. Her body had began shaking as fright filled her up to the core.

' _What am I going to do? What am I going to do?'_

"Hahaha! She's shaking like a leaf!" one of the thugs grunted out as everyone else burst into laughter.

"Yeah! Where'd all that spunk go?"

"Oi boss, mind if we have a little fun with her first?"

Lucy's stomach dropped. This could not be happening. Nothing could be worse than this.

"Of course, once I've had my fun, you can all have her personally, one at a time though, we don't want to break her… _yet_."

She turned a particular shade of green as she realized she'd spoken too soon. ' _If that's the case… then I… then I'd rather…!'_

Lucy licked her dry lips as she bared her teeth, preparing the bare them full force on her tongue. She knew that technically speaking, biting off her own tongue wouldn't instantly kill her. However, if she bit off just enough, and attempted to _swallow_ it, there was a very high chance she'd choke on the blood. If all else failed, she'd at the very least die from blood loss. It would be a slow, agonizing death, but she felt it would be a more peaceful alternative to the torture she would endure. Her regret would be enormous. She'd have lived an unfulfilled life. Yet, though the thought was both morbid and terrifying, there was a certain tranquility to knowing you were about to kill yourself. To be freed from her father's control once and for all. It was liberating. She closed her eyes as a lone tear fell from her cheek. Finally, it was going to be all over.

The tear fell slowly suspended in air as it came closer to the ground.

The back of her dress had been torn, and she felt the cold slimy hands of 'Salamander' touch her skin. Her tongue stretched out of her mouth as she stretched her head backwards to generate the force she was going to need.

The lone tear hit the floor with a silent drop, echoing silently to no one who could hear, just as Lucy brought her upper jaw down with resounding force.

And at that exact moment, the entire upper deck exploded into flames.

~~~~ _The Slayer ~~~~_

* * *

 **A/N: Yeah... sweetness to make your teeth rot. Whoops! Hehehe... Just goes to show you can never trust a trailer, as this must have put a serious damper on your jolly xmas souls. It did have me wondering though, the show played it for laughs, but still it is rather disturbing as they never tell us what Bora was planning to do with all those girls. What _was_ his real agenda? What _would_ have happened to Lucy if Natsu never showed up? Horrific much? **

**Well... Either way no one's done a really dark Fairy Tail Fic before so I hope this goes over well.**

 **Kindly Review Please! Next Update: New Year's Eve!**

 **So, Au Revoir friends! Have a jolly Christmas!**

 _ **Silent Songbird.**_


	3. Devils Vs Monsters

_**A/N:**_ **So I'm back folks! So far I've kept to my schedule for updating, but my pace might reduce to once or twice a month in the upcoming new year due to resuming college. Either way, I'll be here till then! So, if you noticed I changed the story summary because someone complained about it being too ambiguous. Either way, everything is still the same in my plot so worry not. Also, I have a new fic called Dragon of Dragons: Game of the Year Edition which is basically a Video Game fic with a twist. Feel free to check it out! Now, back to the story...**

 **The Slayer**

 **Chapter 2**

 **Devils Vs Monsters**

 **Hargeon Town**

 **Bay**

Fire. It was beautiful, never in her life had Lucy been so glad to see fire, the beautiful orange glow which mirrored the melancholic hue of the sky on a fresh summer's sunset. Lucy's ears rang painfully from the resounding shockwave of the explosion, echoing as though a minion of miniature violinists had performed a concerto in her eardrums. Her skin seared from the heat of the flames and burned like she had been sunbathing for far too long. Her eyes watered from the grim feelings she carried, and her mouth bled, the tangy, coppery taste and smell of the familiar red liquid being the only thing reminding her that she'd been seconds away from death. By what she could only attribute to sheer, dumb luck, the shock from the explosion had prevented her from completely biting her tongue off. She'd still bitten it with enough force to draw blood, as evident by the thin line which trailed down her cheeks like a path of regret. By the time her blurry vision had faded, she realized that she was in the arms of someone beingcarried bridal style.

"Yo, Lucy."

Spiky pink hair appeared within the range of her blurry vision, her brown eyes widening as she matched those cherry-blossom pink strands with a familiar sharp face and a coy smirk. Except, this time, there was no playful smirk donned on his features. His face was a vacant hue as he fixed his unblinking gaze towards her desolate form. He made no movement or sound, but stayed in place like the silhouette of a frozen mime. Yet, she saw his eyes which belied the emotion which his body refused to utter. They were warm, soft, and yet, cold and hard. They were the eyes of a reluctant warmonger, a peaceful demon, and a vengeful angel. Lucy was enthralled, yet at the same time, she was absolutely terrified. She blinked softly when she found herself surrounded by steam, and almost thought for a comedic moment, that it was coming out of his ears. Alas, she noted that steam seemed to be emitting constantly from his feet, keeping him just slightly suspended from touching the boat. It seemed to give him a more hostile appearance and aura, not unlike a ghastly apparition from beyond the grave.

"You've endured a lot. It's time to rest." With a wave of his hand, Lucy found it hard to keep her eyes open for much longer, she fought off the urge to sleep and the drowsiness that was threatening to overcome her, the feeling of dysania was one she was familiar with, and she refused to fall asleep, her body and mind still debating as to whether or not she was in safe hands. It was an uphill battle though, as she realized the urge to sleep was quickly overtaking her.

"Oi! Who the fuck are you?" 'Salamander' yelled as he managed to escape the explosion relatively unharmed. He stood up high in the air with fire under his feet as a lone parody of a magical carpet, and his eyes casting a scornful gaze towards the pink-haired teen.

"Are you the one who calls yourself 'Salamander'?" Natsu stolidly asked, silently pulling off his cloak and draping it over Lucy's form to protect her modesty. Lucy could not have been more grateful, as her shoulders fell lax and her body allowed itself to stop rushing adrenaline into her veins. Natsu's action however, created an untold effect as many of the thugs who saw him immediately fell slack-jawed as their gazes fell on his now exposed arm.

"I am 'Salamander.' What's it to you?" he answered derisively, his brow tightening as his face morphed into a scowl.

"Boss… look! On his arm!"

"What's all the fuss abo-" 'Salamander' stopped mid-sentence as he noticed, without the cloak, there it was emboldened on his shoulder, clear enough for him to see even at a distance, was the unmistakable guild mark of Fairy Tail.

"Pink and red hair… scale scarf… black tattoos on his body… It's the real Salamander! The real Salamander of Fairy Tail!" the men yelled in haunted tones as slowly, the wiser of them began shuffling away from the pink-haired teen.

"What? No way! The real Salamander of Fairy Tail wanders around the region and the continent! He's not even in Fiore!"

"But… The Salamander is one of the youngest S-Class Mages in the world! Overseas he's called _The Slayer,_ because he slayed a legendary wyvern not even a member of the Ten Wizard Saints could defeat! _"_

Lucy's closing eyes managed to keep some light in them as she realized that the man fate had so blessed and allowed her to bump into at the very start of her journey, was apparently one of the key players in the Guild she'd wanted to enter.

"Bora-san! There's no way we can fight him!"

"We didn't sign up for this Bora!"

"Shut up you fools! Don't use my real name!"

Lucy gasped as the identity of the impostor finally dawned on her. He was Bora the Prominence. Rather known as, Bora of the Prominent Hell, an infamous Dark Mage. Before she could yell to the real Salamander about his identity, the world around her twirled and faded to black as sweet blissful sleep finally took her into its grasp.

The now unveiled Bora rubbed the bridge of his nose with his index and middle fingers as his eyes twitched in barely restrained wrath "You will fight him goddamn it or else I will get down there myself and use your intestines as battering rams to crush your empty skulls!"

The men balked at the threat, yet, they knew that Bora was not a man to be trifled with and he was very capable of following out that threat to the bitter end. Stuck between a monster and a legend, they decided to face their odds with the legend who at least, wouldn't kill them. They gathered their weapons as courage returned and began charging the lone teen with fierce battle cries and charges like the barbaric warriors of faraway lands. Their charge was slowly stopped as they overheard the echo of ghastly laughter.

"HAHAHAHA!" The Dragonslayer's laugh was sanguine and possessed an element of slight insanity the men couldn't quite describe, only to warily watch as the teen stared into the sky.

"Tell me… What do you men fear more?" Natsu's eyes began glowing a shade of red that put blood to shame, he possessed a bilious grin as he glowered at men who were twice his age, but possessed less than twice the power he did, and watched with fascination as the entire area around him burst into brilliant orange flames.

It seemed to be normal, until that is, the _ocean_ surrounding the teen burst aflame. It was as though an oil pipeline had exploded, or a freighter had crashed as the sea turned a ghastly red and the visage of the flames seemed to scorch with an intensity of lava. As though the child of the sun had come forth from the heavens to render infinite judgment, not even the natural enemy of flames could stop it.

"A monster or…" The flames then morphed slowly, climbing, shifting, turning into the visage of a giant, flaming _skull_ that gave a screeching laugh before planting the same smirk as the teen.

".. _a Devil?"_

There was a moment of tranquil silence as the words began sinking into the skulls of the men present. Some had wet themselves in fear, others were on the verge of passing out. Those that weren't on either side of that spectrum were all quivering like the shriveled leaves that danced in the autumn rain. In seconds, they had all made their decision.

"GAH! Screw Bora! I'm not fighting someone who can _burn_ the motherfucking _ocean_!"

"It's every man for himself!"

Natsu almost found it comical as to how quickly the men around him turned tail and fled, jumping into the parts of the ocean that weren't set on fire. Apparently they had chosen to test their luck with the raging currents and deadly sharks than to face the walking personification of natural disaster. After a few seconds of rampart fleeing, the only people left on the burning boat were Natsu, the sleeping Lucy, and Salamander.

"Happy, you done yet?"

"Aye sir!"

"What!" Bora snapped out of his trance from watching the sea burn, a level of fire manipulation he could not even dream of ever accomplishing as he turned his attention back to the ship, only to find out that all his hostages and 'goods' were no longer aboard.

' _That…! He..! He used the fire as a distraction!'_ Bora immediately realized ' _Sneaky bastard used the fire as a distraction to take away my cargo!_ ' Of course it was a brilliant diversion. How many times would you ever get to see the _ocean_ set on fire by a mage in one lifetime? Bora watched helplessly once more as the cat had swooped into the boy's hands and carried off Lucy from the ship as well, soaring away from the ship and forever out of his grasp.

"You…! You…! You have no idea as to what you've done brat!" Bora glowered as his flames surrounded him with vengeance. Then, the flames vanished as Bora giggled, then chuckled, then he suddenly began laughing, laughing as though he'd gone insane. ' _I've lost the master's shipment. The master… the master…'_ he ranted in his head.

"You're Bora the Prominence, or rather you were Bora the Prominence."

Bora turned his attention back to the teen with pink hair "So you've heard of me. I'm extremely flattered." The man said petulantly with an exaggerated roll of his eyes.

"Of course I've heard of you, the legendary psychopath that was expelled from the Titan Nose guild and went on a killing spree." Natsu muttered emotionlessly, his tone low as though he was speaking about the weather.

Bora shrugged simply "Really? That's what you've heard me for? I could've have sworn I had a better reputation than that." The man began wryly.

"You know the trader of tramps, defiler of daughters and battler of rather mean and intoxicated brawls. I'm pretty sure I've been barred from every bar in Fiore by now." He continued jeeringly.

"Do you feel no guilt at all?" Natsu quizzically asked.

"They all had it coming."

"Had it coming?"

"Well yeah! I mean, here I am minding my business, groping this waitresses ass and the tramp thinks she can refuse! How rude! So I slap her and then those drunken oafs try to restore her honor or something and then pick a fight-"

"I'm not talking about your bloody bar fights!" Natsu snarled, basically losing his cool and reverting to his old persona.

"I'm talking about your guild. You killed every single one of your former guild mates and guild master for petty revenge!"

"Oh that? Come on, that's old news. Well, it was for more than _just_ revenge."

"What?"

"You see it was all a rather interesting scientific experiment to find out how long it took a living human body to burn! The screaming and the yelling was the most annoying part I'll tell you tha-"

Bora's eyes widened in surprise as a fist came barreling towards him, the man barely managed to inch away from the attack seconds before it impacted. He watched in amusement and slight shock as the pressure the punch generated cleared off the entire upper deck of the burning ship and sent it splashing into the ocean. The pressure also generated enough wind to completely put out all the fire which had previously encircled the ocean and boat, and several men who had been swimming in the ocean were launched into the air and sent flying towards Hargeon town like bats out of hell.

"Woo! That was feisty!" Bora laughed "Did I touch a nerve?" On noticing the teen's reaction, Bora leered.

"I _did_ touch a nerve! You _have_ burned someone alive before haven't you?"

The mad man laughed as he pranced in the air, eyes keen as he began dodging the several salvos of punches the Dragonslayer launched at him. The shockwaves from each punch crashing into the ocean like miniature balls of air, as Bora quickly realized that getting hit even once would most likely be fatal. He swiftly grasped that he had the initiative in the battle as he was apparently more used to aerial combat than the teen, whom most likely relied more on his cat when it came to fighting in the sky. Thus, though Natsu had agility and could make sharp turns in the air to fly, the steam under his feet propelling him wasn't fast enough to keep up with the fire that Bora used.

Natsu on the other hand simply narrowed his eyes at him. ' _The speed at which I'm attacking is nothing less than A-Class. But Bora is supposed to be B-Class at best. Even though I was holding back, and I'm not entirely used to using my_ _Steam Jet_ _to fly, he shouldn't be able to dodge me this easily.'_

"You're a lot stronger than I expected Bora, and a whole lot more insane."

"Why Salamander? Fishing for information are we? Well I'll tell you this… I'm in a new guild now, one in which requires certain _acts_ to be done as a rite of passage! If you're too weak, you're killed. So of course I had to up my game! I just love it there cause it's filled with so many people that make _me_ look tame in comparison!" Bora laughed as he flew higher into the air and summoned flames in his arms. "Too bad I can't tell you more even if I wanted to!" The man stuck out his tongue, allowing Natsu to gleam out what looked like a certain familiar tattoo rune engraved on it. "Now, let's dance shall we! _Prominence Whip!_ "

Several large whips of flames shot down at Natsu, intending to burn him and crash him through the ocean. Natsu grinned as he charged the steam which powered his flight and shot forward towards the attack. He propelled himself through the air, sucking Bora's flames up effortlessly into his mouth as he charged at the man.

"Eating Fire?!" Bora howled in disbelief as he charged another attack in desperation "I don't believe it!"

Natsu grinned as he stared at the man, their aerial combat being extremely amusing once he was the one making the quips. "Believe it!"

" _Red Shower!"_ Bora bellowed as more baseball-sized blasts of fire was sent towards the pink-haired teen in rapid succession, desperation was beginning to sink in. ' _Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! They didn't tell me he could eat fire or that he was immune to it! They just said he could use it!_

Natsu didn't even need to eat the flames, he just barreled through them as he charged Bora, extended fist ready.

The psychopath in question charged his final attack in an all or nothing scenario. "DAMN IT! HELL PROMINENCE!" Bora roared as he fired a beam of pure, condensed flames straight at the incoming teen. To an outside observer, it would appear as though a giant had switched on its torchlight, only that the beam of light emitted from it was instead a raging inferno of unparalleled destruction that seemed to have been summoned from the pits of hell. The beam expanded outwards and charged towards the Dragonslayer, engulfing him completely in a firestorm as the rest of the beam smashed into the boat and disintegrated it to ash in seconds. The area in which the beam hit in the sea began boiling almost instantly, sending an eight foot wave of steaming hot water into the sky and crashing down again, generating a fog of steam which completely obscured the environment.

' _Tsk… that better had finished him off!'_ Bora thought as he panted heavily, feeling the magic that was keeping him in the air slowly waning ' _Use Salamander as your cover they said. He's not in Fiore they said. It can't possibly backfire they said. Fucking assholes… I'm sure they knew this would happen. Using Salamander's name as my cover ranks up there as possibly one of the stupidest things I've ever done.'_

Bora would not deny that his pride as a fire mage wanted him to use the title, just so he could see who this hotshot upstart was and put him in his place. Unfortunately, he had not counted on him being a Fire Mage immune to fire. And he had greatly underestimated the gap between S-Class and… whatever he was.

"Was that the best you could do?"

Bora felt his blood run cold as the steam cleared, and there in place, was the same teen, holding a bored expression on his face. Not even a hair was out of place, his clothes were not even in the slightest ruffled or even steamed. It was as though he had not done a single thing. The only difference, was that now he was flying through the air with flames ejecting from the bottom of his feet instead of steam. _Blue_ flames. The brilliant sapphire looking flames were beautiful, yet they roared wildly and appeared highly volatile.

"H-how?" Bora found himself unable to stop himself from displaying his astonishment, his face twisted into a mirror image of equal parts fear and awe, with one clearly outshining the other. No one he had ever fought had survived that attack. He'd used it to wipe out his entire guild, and his guild had contained S-Class mages. Yet, a pink-haired brat had weathered it as though it was nothing.

"You're flames are pretty decent, but when you've swam through lava, everything else seems pale in comparison." Natsu shrugged slightly.

"Swam through lava?" Bora repeated as he allowed the sentence to stay on his lips, gears slowly turning in his mind as he tried to comprehend the insanity of the fact.

' _It seems… I may have bitten off more than I can chew here.'_ Bora thought to himself as he watched the flames accelerating Natsu through the air burn a brilliant blue as they expanded, sending the dragonslayer flying towards the psychopath so fast, it appeared to the common eye as though he'd disappeared and reappeared in an instant, grabbing the man by the scruff of his neck.

"Wait! This was a misunderstanding! You can't kill me! You're in a legal guild! You have to let me go!"

Natsu sneered "Let you go?"

"Yes!" Bora almost yelled, for once in his life recognizing that he was in through mortal danger.

"Oh I'll let you go…" Natsu smirked as he tossed the man into the air, his flames shooting him forward like a bullet.

"… _ **straight to hell!**_ Honō Akuma no Safaia-Jetto-Ken!(Sapphire Jet Fist of the Fire _Devil_!)"

Bora's eyes widened as Natsu's right fist imbedded itself in his stomach. There seemed to be no magic or spell used, yet, Bora shot out a glob of blood as his body folded in half like a common steel chair, the impact generating enough force capable of shattering bones and rupturing organs. The shockwave emitted from the single punch produced enough force to _clear_ the clouds out of the sky as Bora was sent careening head over heels like a bullet shot from a gun. As though a giant had used him as a skipping stone, he skidded over the surface of the sea water helplessly before crashing into Hargeon Town. He didn't stop there, but tore through three buildings only to stop as his back hit against a solid steel beam.

' _One… Punch. He almost killed me… with one punch.'_ Bora thought bitterly. He could feel almost every bone in his body broken in one form or another, his ribs had punctured his lungs, his spine was heavily damaged and nearly shattered, his shoulders were dislocated, and his arm was bent at an angle that should not have been anatomically possible. He passed out from the pain seconds later, fully aware that if he was not given immediate medical attention he'd die from blood loss, and if by some miracle he did survive, he'd never be able to _move_ again much less walk. Thus, in a twisted way, death would be a much preferable alternative.

"Pitiful. Absolutely pitiful." A black portal opened up in front of Bora, with a tall hooded figure stepping out. The figure grabbed the injured Bora and tossed him over its shoulders, ignoring the strangled cry of pain the man gave out.

"I suppose, in a pathetic way you completed your job. Not that you even know it." The figure said as it walked into the portal.

"Sending a human to do a demon's work, against Natsu Dragneel no less, what the hell is he thinking? Tsk! Let's see what Master has to say about this…" the portal slowly began shrinking away.

"So he _can_ use _Devil_ Slayer magic eh? How ironic."

The portal closed with a silent gust of wind, leaving no evidence of it being there in the first place.

With the Dragon/Devilslayer, he twirled in the air as he found himself moving faster than intended when he shot towards Hargeon. He was trying to skid to a stop as he reached the harbor in seconds, only to fail and end up crashing into a wall.

' _Note to self… work on brakes when using_ _Fire Devil's Jet_ _to fly.'_ The teen grumbled to himself.

"Natsuuu! I thought you said you couldn't use we couldn't use our _other_ powers near towns!"

Natsu disengaged himself from the wall in an almost startled jump, Happy seemed to be the only person in the world who could sneak up on him because they were almost always together, and the cat thus smelled similar to the teen.

"No… I said we can't use those powers anywhere near _people_ are watching, unless we absolutely have to. I'm sure no one _important_ saw me anyway so it's safe." Natsu corrected the pet almost automatically.

"Still! You didn't have to, that was overkill…" the cat sighed to itself before Natsu noticed that the blue feline companion was floating in the air with his wings while holding up the unconscious Lucy Heartfilia.

Natsu _obviously_ knew who she was even though he'd never met her before. All he had to do was put two and two together, and search for any recently 'missing' heiresses in the Quest Distribution Offices and Rune Knight stations and he'd found her name and picture near-instantly. Of course, he had then made sure to _erase_ the existence of the 'missing' files. If he could find her that easily, then so could anyone else. Though, he immediately realized he was put in a rather precarious position as he spotted several rune knights charging towards the harbor. If you were a law-abiding officer and you spotted a man carrying a half-naked, beaten, bruised and unconscious woman in his arms, you generally don't come to the assumption that the man is a Good Samaritan.

He was conflicted between getting them to arrest Bora, and explaining his current predicament. ' _Gah! Bora should be arrested… not that it'll make any difference anyway… unless he has advanced regeneration; I doubt he'll be alive much longer."_

"Oi Happy… I think we need to leave."

"Aye! You're a real detective Natsu! There's no way I could have figured that out! I thought we were staying to ask the Rune Knights if they had a vacancy in their cells."

Natsu's eye's twitched. "Cheeky cat."

Such was another day in the life of Natsu Dragneel.

~~~~~~ _The Slayer~~~~~~~_

* * *

Lucy Heartfilia groaned slightly to herself as her eyes opened. The brown orbs sparkled with life as she swore that she had the craziest dream she'd ever had. Talking cats, shipwrecks, and lots and lots of fire. She sat up comfortably and pulled back the blanket that covered her as she wondered why her alarm didn't wake her-

She froze instantly as three facts instantly sprang to her mind. One, she wasn't home, she remembered leaving in order to join Fairy Tail. Two, this was _not_ the run-down hovel in which she'd rented in Hargeon town, instead, it looked like a fancy hotel suite which she knew she could not dream of affording… without her father's wealth anyway. And three, she was dressed in an oversized black T-shirt which had the image of a chibi dragon in front and a pair shorts, though she was absolutely certain that she had no outfit like this.

She glanced around the room trying to piece her memories back together as she noticed that it was unbelievably spacious. There were large bearskin, tiger-skin and zebra-skin rugs, a golden chandelier hung up on the ceiling, and animal trophy heads mounted on the wall. Mahogany and glass tables, plush leather furniture, and even the bed she was on was magnificently soft. The room was air conditioned to be cool and there was a pleasant smell of pinewood and strawberry which wafted around. All in all, it was a room fit for a king. Lucy looked to her side and spotted an elegant glass clock which read fifteen minutes past six. Huh, it was almost time for her to visit Salamander's… party…

Then the memories of the previous night came flooding into her head like a geyser. 'Salamander' who was actually an imposter named Bora and was apparently a slave trader. The ship which was his vessel was used to transport innocent women to grisly fates. She remembered being captured, held… and of course being rescued.

"You're finally awake." Lucy's head whipped so fast that it was a miracle she didn't break her neck. She recognized the voice, and the image matched as she spotted the pink-haired teen named Natsu sitting over at a desk with several files.

"I was wondering when you'd- what are you doing?" Natsu asked in confusion as the girl had jumped away from the bed, punched in the glass clock, grabbed a piece of shard from it and held it protectively in front of herself. She ignored her now bleeding palm from how she held the sharpened piece of glass, and threw Natsu the most intimidating glare she could possibly muster. Natsu blinked in surprise as he simply stared. She was like a completely different person from the girl he'd bumped into.

"Where am I? What happened?"

"Geez... calm down. You're in Akane Resorts and Suites. This is a VIP room."

Lucy's eyes almost widened as she discovered that fact. Akane Resorts were ridiculously expensive, just renting a room there would cost more than twice the allowance she used to receive weekly. But a VIP room? That was insane!

"Who are you, really?" she asked warily.

"I'm the guy who saved your life. Shouldn't that count for something?" Natsu countered.

"Saved my life? SAVED my life? If it weren't for you I'd have never been in danger in the first place!"

Natsu blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You're a mage! You're Salamander! The real Salamander! Of Fairy Tail! All you had to do was tell me when we met that you're from Fairy Tail, or before storming away to leave me with the outrageous bill _your_ cat garnered, you'd have told me that the other 'Salamander' was an impostor! If I'd known I'd have never gone to the ship in the first place!"

Natsu rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he realized that what she was saying was true to a certain extent. He couldn't take all the blame though.

"Well… you didn't ask?"

Only instinct and several years of training and honing his reflexes saved Natsu from the incoming attack as he dodged the glass shard that would have gone through his head, and he managed to catch the girl as she pounced on him, their collective body weight sending both of them to the ground as she sat on top of him.

"Didn't ask! Didn't ask! Aren't you a _super_ smart P.I. couldn't you have known what was going on?" she yelled as he tried pummeling the teen with her fists, it didn't seem to be doing any damage at all. But she didn't care.

"I was almost! I almost…!" Lucy froze as she finally stopped hitting Natsu. The memory of Bora's hands and sneer, of his touch, of her being surrounded… of her determination to end her own life, it flooded her mind, played in slow-motion, and replayed constantly to the thought of that single moment before Natsu had arrived. As the adrenaline from her system wore out, she realized just how horrifying the experience was.

"I…!" her lips dried out as she found herself shuddering, her entire body trembling, her heart rate rising as a lump formed in her throat which she couldn't swallow. She bit her lower lip with her teeth as her vision clouded over.

"I…!" she remembered his laugh, his cold, mirthless laugh, she remembered being surrounded, bound. She couldn't do anything. She was trapped, helpless, as always she was helpless. She didn't have the strength needed to save herself, she was always the one who needed saving. It had always been that way, ever since she was little, if it wasn't her mother it was her servants, if it wasn't her servants it was her celestial spirits, if it wasn't her spirits it was her father. Someone always had to rescue her. And she'd always run away. If she didn't hide in a dark room, she'd hide in a tree, and if she didn't hide in a tree she'd hide in a forest. Someone always had to save her while she ran away, if it wasn't from the from the creatures under the bed, it was from falling off a tree. If it wasn't from falling off a tree, it was from the monsters in the forest.

Someone always had to save her. Even when it was from herself.

She blinked. Lucy found herself unable to do nothing but that as she felt herself enter a warm embrace. Foreign arms wrapped around her body and pulled her close, yet, there was no urge to push him away and run, there was no urge to call him a pervert or punch him for bringing their bodies so close when she still wasn't wearing a bra. There was no ill-will from him, and unlike Bora, she felt nothing but warmth.

"Are you tired?"

Lucy found herself unable to answer. She possessed neither the right words nor the will to say them.

"Are you tired as though you're caught in a never-ending web of uncertainty and doubt?"

Lucy found herself suddenly unable to swallow.

"Are you tired of the spider called life, tossing you around like a meal? Making you live in fear of when life will devour you?"

Lucy shivered at the sound of his voice tickling against her ear, his warm breath catching her by surprise as she focused on his every word.

"Or perhaps it's worse? Are you then tired of living life as the spider, being caught in your own web in which you cannot escape? The more you struggle, the more you run, the more you create the web, of which you are the warden and yet, you are the prisoner?"

"Well then answer me? Are you tired?"

Lucy gulped slowly, as though she'd been drowned in a sea of thoughts and surfaced for air. She managed to find the strength within her to respond, a short, slow answer.

"Yes."

Natsu smirked as he disengaged from the embrace and stared the woman in her eyes, pink met brown in a moment of silence that lasted an eternity. The windows of souls were connected, the gateways of hearts were unlocked, and the two stared at each other in an unblinking, beatific connection of passion. It was a moment in which Lucy wished it would last forever, and yet it lasted for but a fleeting moment.

"Whether you're the spider or the meal, you're still trapped in the web. So the question is simple. Do you want to get out?"

Lucy's heart warmed as she felt the organ pound against her chest, trying it's hardest to break free from within it's bounds as it pumped blood at an accelerated pace.

"Y-yes."

"I can't hear you!"

"Yes!"

"Louder!"

"Yes!"

"Say it like you mean it! DO. YOU. WANT. TO. GET. OUT?" the Dragonslayer roared.

"YES!" Lucy bellowed out with as much force as she could muster, before panting from the exertion.

Natsu grinned as he enjoyed the girl's spirit. "Well then do you know what that means? It means you have to get stronger than anyone else! You have to train until your bones brake and your teeth fall out! Till your hair sheds and your blood turns blue! Till your heart won't stop even if sliced into a thousand pieces and your enemies will flee from simply hearing your voice! Till you are unstoppable and your very soul is a weapon unmatched by any blade!"

Lucy's heart pounded as she listened on, her fists tightened as she stared at the teen, no, _man_ as he poured out his own heart.

"You have to train until every cell in your body, every oxygen molecule in your breathing, every firing neuron in your brain and every atom that surrounds your existence is an unbridled force of nature that cannot stopped!" Natsu panted slightly "Then, and only then…" Natsu grinned "will you escape the web."

Lucy only stared at the quixotic appearance of the young man in front of her, no one had ever given her such a talk before, no one had motivated her, had inspired her and set alight a flame in her soul.

"Thank you" she said to herself as she wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. Suddenly, she became suddenly very conscious of their positions. She was seated on his lap, and he was in a sitting position, their faces mere inches apart. She found herself enthralled by his aura, lost in his eyes, and suddenly found in his arms.

There was a moment of silence as their gazes met, her chin inched forward, his face drew closer. Their breaths tickled their faces, he smelt of sakura blossoms, and she smelt of the crackling incense of spring leaves. Their hearts synchronized, their minds as one, all waiting for the slow contact of their lips.

"Aye! I found it Natsu!"

The blonde girl and pink-haired teen jumped apart from each other as though they'd been burned. One blushing a storm as her cheeks glowed red, while the other took a deep breath to regain his composure as he opened up the balcony and let the flying cat in.

"Great job Happy!" Lucy turned around after her curiosity got the better of her "Catch." She blinked as a familiar looking object fell into her arms.

"My celestial keys! How did-?"

"I found it odd that you didn't have them with you, so I enlisted Happy here to track them down." Natsu said as he tossed a piece of fish into the cat's paws and watched as he gobbled it down.

Lucy hugged the keys closer to her as she gazed back at the teen "You've done so much for me… I can't think of how I can repay you."

"I'm sure Natsu can think of a way aye!" the cat waggled it's… eyebrows – could they be considered brows? – suggestively.

"Perverted cat." Lucy said blankly.

"Not now Happy." Natsu slowly warned.

"Eh? But what about that time with-" Lucy watched with fascination as Natsu tossed the cat out of the balcony with a hard shove before locking it.

He coughed into his hand silently, and pretended that nothing strange had happened. "Er-hem, I think we were discussing something."

Lucy blinked before she realized that she'd wanted to ask him something important for a while now. "How in the world did you afford this place?"

"I didn't".

"What?" she asked confused.

"Several months back, I helped out the owner of the Resorts from certain dark mages who kidnapped his daughter for a ransom. After saving her, I refused to collect any monetary gift since I didn't accept it as a proper quest, so instead he gave me the privilege of having my own private room in the hotel that I could use whenever I was within the area."

"Wow, I didn't' think there's anyone who could be so generous." Lucy giggled while Natsu shrugged slightly but avoided eye contact _'I'm pretty sure if he knew the real reason why I didn't collect any money from him was because his daughter had 'thanked' me in her own way, I'd be out of here faster than you could say princess._ '

Natsu shook his head to clear his thoughts as he gazed at the girl and finally made his decision.

"Alright! I believe it's time."

"Time? Time for what?"

Natsu smirked as he gazed Lucy in the eyes.

"You want to get strong don't you? Well it only means there's one place to go."

Lucy's eyes widened slightly, excitement bubbling up in her stomach. "You mean?"

"Yes." Natsu grinned.

"We're going to Fairy Tail!"

~~~~~ _The Slayer ~~~~~_

* * *

 **Several Hours Later.**

 **Elsewhere…**

"So it's true." A voice spoke slowly as he stepped down from his throne.

"Yes my liege." A hooded figure answered as he bowed.

"Fascinating… to know that all this while… our master had been free, yet, unaware of his own freedom."

"Do you think he will join us my liege?"

"He has no choice. He is stuck between Kurama, Lord Zeref and Acnologia. Lord Zeref has powerful allies on his side, Acnologia has the might of dragons, but Kurama? Kurama doesn't need an army. Kurama _is_ an army. If Natsu Dragneel truly intends to fight him, he cannot do it alone."

"And what of Lord Zeref?"

"…He is our creator. But he is not our God. The sheer arrogance of creating us to kill him, and casting us aside when we could not is beyond insulting. For now, we shall pretend to be his loyal watchdogs, waiting and biding time until with the aid of our true master, we shall strike."

"Our true master my liege?"

"Yes. Even if he is unaware of it, he is our master. Etherious Natsu Dragneel. E.N.D."

The man stepped down from the throne, revealing his face to his servant, in which he removed the robe from its form, revealing a fair skinned and excellently well-endowed demon.

"Rise Kyouka. You'll play an important role in bringing him to our side, and I Mard Geer, shall be the one who leads the Etherious to victory under the banner of our true master."

He smirked "A war is coming, a war in which the victor wins the world and the loser is erased from eternity. A war of only the strongest creatures in existence. A war of the best."

"And Natsu Dragneel will be at the forefront of that war, whether he knows it or not."

* * *

 _ **A/N:** **So...**_ **a little bit of NaLu thrown in for the fans. Doesn't mean that's going to be the pairing though. I am tempted to go with the Harem route... but not sure if it'll work out, either way, the pairings are still open for now... until I make up my mind. Whoo! And Plot Twist! So... I'm sure _this_ is original! I'm sure no one has thought of making Natsu both a Dragon Slayer _and_ a Devil Slayer at the same time. I didn't pick the title of the fic out of a hat you know. Either way... How he gained Devil Slayer powers will be explained in due time. **

**Until then, please read, review, comment and tell me how it was! I find it quite amusing that this story has 20+ favorites but yet only 11 reviews. It kinda kills the muse though.**

 **Well, Feel free to check out Dragon of Dragons: Game of the Year Edition if you're a fan of High School DxD and Happy New Year people!**

 _ **Silent Songbird.**_


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